Former Baltimore Orioles Prospect Lands Outside Positional Power Rankings

The Baltimore Orioles used this infield prospect as a trade piece with the Miami Marlins and he's already making Miami look good for the deal.

Jun 4, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Connor Norby (12) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles drafted Connor Norby in the second round of the 2021 MLB draft out of East Carolina University. The infielder provided their minor league system with depth and become a top prospect who proved a versatile infielder and showed gap-to-gap power at the plate.

He struggled to translate that success in the Majors, though it was a small sample size. Plus, with Ramon Urias at third base and Jackson Holliday set to take over full-time at second base, there was no real path to consistent playing time.

The Orioles needed to upgrade their bullpen for a playoff push. At July's trade deadline, Baltimore traded Norby (and Kyle Stowers) to the Miami Marlins for reliever Trevor Rogers.

He debuted for the Marlins on Aug. 19th, played in 36 games, 30 of which were at third base. With roughly league-average offense, but well below league-average defense, Norby just missed out on making the Top 25 of Joel Reuter's last third base power rankings of 2024 for Bleacher Report, though he did earn an honorable mention.

For the year, Norby finished with a slash line of .236/.294/.438 with nine home runs, 20 RBI, and a 98 OPS+ across 194 plate appearances in 45 MLB games. He was much better with Miami than he was with Baltimore, and began showing that gap-to-gap power, hitting nine doubles with the Marlins over 162 plate appearances.

His hitting profile should play well at loanDepot Park, one of the most cavernous stadiums in Major League Baseball. If the 24-year-old can continue to drive the ball into the gap, he should be successful with the Marlins.

Defensively, Norby may be better suited for a role at second base than at third base. He finished with a -5 Outs Above Average at the hot corner per Baseball Savant, but he did not have enough innings to qualify for the leaderboard. If he did qualify, his -5 OAA would rank 33rd out of all third basemen in 2024.

Norby has a long way to go in his development, but the flashes he showed on offense have already begun to show up. If he can turn those flashes into consistent production, he will be a vital piece of Miami's offense for many years to come, though it may be at a position other than third base.